“Your captain Wendie Renard is back after missing the last rally. How is she ?
I’m not going to replace the medical staff, but she had quadriceps surgery (at the end of December) and her recovery went well. I think she will be lined up this weekend with Lyon (against Le Havre, Sunday), she will gain a little playing time, we hope to have her in good spirits. What is certain is that she will not be able to string together two matches and play 90 minutes twice. We will have to manage it well (…) More broadly, we will have to take into consideration a very important parameter, which is that in the Olympics, we will play every 72 hours. The turnover will be much higher, management for these Games will be crucial, the best managed workforce will go as far as possible. At this rally, we have two important matches. We have already played Ireland (in July 2023), they are a valiant team. And then we will play in Sweden, it will be a very tough field. Freshness will be very important.
Amel Majri and Clara Mateo are not on your list. For what ?
When you’re not on a list, that doesn’t mean you’re not a good player. But I have choices to make. There are certain positions that are doubled or even tripled, I don’t think that’s the best thing. In this final stretch, I think it’s good to change a little bit. Some girls have been on the bench for a year, it might not be easy for her. It’s important to alternate, not always to take the same players to sit on the bench. It can do everyone good. It’s perhaps a little more difficult to watch your colleagues on television, but it gives you even more desire, it must draw on even greater motivation. The list will be reduced from week to week (in view of the Olympics). It’s a message that needs to be heard.
“You promised me hell when I arrived, and so far we are doing very well”
Are you going to push for Wendie Renard to be flag bearer at the Olympics?
I understood that in terms of timing it would be a little difficult. But it would be an honor, she fully deserves it. I always feel like I’m making too much of Wendie, but the question comes up a lot. We tend to notice that we miss people when they are away. His absence (at the Final Four of the Nations League) was notable and important. She has an exceptional personality, charisma and motivation that remind me of the best players I have had in men’s football. She is some time ahead of women’s football. Just the fact that she’s here is already a lot.
You announced your departure from Les Bleues after the Olympics. Does that add pressure regarding your record at the head of this team?
We have to put things in context, I announced things to the FFF in January. And it didn’t change much since we qualified for a Nations League final. My motivation is intact. When I came for women’s football, it was to take on difficult challenges. You promised me hell when I arrived, and so far we’re doing just fine. To do even better would be to win a medal for France. The communication (about his departure) was made by the president, Mr. Diallo, on the day of the Olympic draw. It had to be done at some point, but that doesn’t call anything into question. With my staff, we are having a lot of fun, we can’t wait to arrive at the start of the course on Monday. It’s a difficult job. If I had to be brief, I have in the back of my mind the 2026 World Cup in men’s football, I hope that it will be my third World Cup as a coach to represent a perhaps different country, or not, at the head of a men’s team. These are my personal motivations.
“Only idiots don’t change their minds. You never know what might happen.”
Jean-Michel Aulas, vice-president of the FFF, said that he still had hope of keeping you after the Olympics…
In life, only idiots don’t change their minds. You never know what could happen. Mr. Aulas’s words are entirely consistent. I cannot be 100% certain (about my departure). I live like that, day by day, we’ll see what happens. Let’s have fun, then we’ll see what happens.
Could the announcement of your departure disrupt the group?
No, the girls know and knew about it, even though I never talked about it openly. They knew that I had accepted this challenge for a year and a half with a World Cup, two Nations Leagues, and the Olympics in France, an exciting and difficult program. They are professionals, they come to wear the French team jersey to achieve high goals. No matter the coach, the objectives do not change. Even when I’m gone, the goal will be to win titles. »
2024-03-28 14:46:53
#Hervé #Renard #World #Cup #mind
